Although it’s led by a drummer, the Claudia Quintet is not necessarily about groove. Percussionist/composer John Hollenbeck instead goes for odd mixed meters and a precisely detailed robotic herky-jerk that’s underlined by the sharp-angled dissonance of his melodic lines.

So the marching mechanistic clatter might be broken by the full, flexible tone of Chris Speed’s bebop tenor-sax phrasing. Or the piano will comp around a soloist with spare, plunking chords while the vibes dart along in counterlines. And Hollenbeck has broken up the longer pieces with short interstitial sequences of each soloist playing against himself — not overdubs, but succinct post-production mash-ups. So, no, this isn’t body music, but you could call the tempoless reverie of “Zurn” — with clarinet, accordion, piano, bass, and vibes circling one another as brushes patter — a kind of dance.

Lionel Loueke | Mwaliko Benin-born, Paris-and-Berklee-educated guitarist Loueke knows how to cover a lot of ground and make it all sound of a piece.

Midlake | The Courage Of Others On this lovingly crafted follow-up, the men of Midlake have moved on to emulating the late-'60s/early-'70s British folk-rock scene.

High On Fire | Snakes For The Divine Joining a metal band as a young 'un is a bit like getting hired as a burger flipper: you may dream of one day becoming Ray Kroc, but after years of toil, grease, and ridicule, you'll probably settle for store manager.

Xiu Xiu | Dear God, I Hate Myself The reigning King of Discomfort, Jamie Stewart, and his new bandmate, Angela Seo (who took Cold Caveward–bound Caralee McElroy's place last year), recently released a video for this album's title track in which Seo forces herself to puke in front of the camera.

Hot Chip | One Life Stand Four albums into a career that appeared to begin as an art-school goof, Hot Chip look more likely than any of their peers to ascend one day to the intellectual electro-pop heights of Pet Shop Boys or Scritti Politti.

Taking up Arms As might be expected from a band who take their name from Hamlet's "To be, or not to be" soliloquy, Arms Against a Sea appear conflicted on their debut full-length, The Martyr, the Culprit, the Price .

The Soft Pack | The Soft Pack This Los Angeles foursome first emerged in 2008 as the Muslims, a name they elected to change after they grew disgusted with and exhausted by all the ignorant — and often racist — bullshit that came out of people's mouths during shows/interviews/conversations.

Toro Y Moi | Causers Of This Toro y Moi's debut is a leap into a tactile æsthetic where surreal and sometimes unstable atmospheres lure listeners into simple, soulful songs.

Blackshaw's good vibrations Blackshaw's low-key career has evolved as organically as one of his songs: at 28, the Londoner has amassed a body of instrumental guitar music that defies tidy categorization. What he does isn't really folk, jazz, or new age — and it's far too accessible to be mistaken for avant-garde.

FRED HERSCH TRIO AT SCULLERS | March 01, 2013 Fred Hersch's output as a composer includes an orchestrated setting of poems from Walt Whitman's Leaves of Grass as well as other art-song fare for singers.

THIS SPRING'S JAZZ &AMP; WORLD MUSIC SHOWS | February 28, 2013 The saxophonist Chris Potter started drawing attention when he joined the group of legendary bebop trumpeter Red Rodney as an 18-year-old Manhattan School of Music student.